Portion Control for Fat Loss

 I often find that my clients feel overwhelmed with dieting and knowing how to eat properly. When counseling them with nutrition I try to keep it as simple as possible. The best single piece of advice I can offer to someone looking to lose weight and/or to drop body fat is watch your portions. There are countless books in the diet section of your local bookstore and they all have varying opinions and suggestions on how to lose weight.
Some nutritional philosophies are more accurate than others but what science tells us is that at the end of the day it all comes down to is calories consumed versus calories expended. If you eat more calories than you burn you will store the remaining calories as body fat and in the reverse of that if you consume less calories than you expend you will lose body fat. It really is that simple my friends. There are other factors that come into play with respect to your nutrition but when it comes to fat loss it is simply calories in versus calories out.
One reason Americans eat so many calories is that we tend to eat monstrous portions. Studies find that hamburgers and fries (to cite two notorious examples) are generally offered in serving sizes two to five times larger than the appropriate meal size. Not that we tend to care: Researchers find we usually clean our plates no matter how high they’re piled, even if we already feel satisfied. Research has also shown that Americans often underestimate how many calories they are consuming each day by as much as 25 percent.
Considering that your average American is overweight and/or obese it is important that we make changes in how we eat. Above and beyond any other change we should make; eating proper portions is by far the most important. In fact, a 2004 study of 329 overweight people found that 38 percent of those who practiced portion control for two years lost five percent or more of body weight, compared with 33 percent of participants who did not (they gained five percent or more of body weight). As a general rule you should eat until you are satisfied but not until you are full and you should never stuff yourself. Eating three to six properly portioned meals throughout the day is a great way to sustain balanced energy levels while maintaining and/or losing body fat. The moral of the story is eating proper portions helps you reduce calorie intake and consuming less calories helps you lose body fat.
James O’Rourke is a certified personal trainer, nutritional consultant and personal development coach. His company Survival of the Fittest Health and Wellness provides the Knowledge, Accountability and Motivation necessary to be Happy, Healthy and Fit. For more information about his program contact visit www.SOFHEALTHANDWELLNESS.COM or contact James at 661-713-7576 and or JAMES@SOFHEALTHANDWELLNESS.COM.